This work focuses on assembling and analyzing genomes of poorly characterized members of the fungal class Archaeorhizomycetes using both publicly available SRA metagenomic datasets and newly generated pure culture sequencing data. The project aims to improve genomic representation of this ecologically important but understudied fungal lineage and to investigate its evolutionary relationships, genome architecture, and potential ecological functions in soil ecosystems.
Our research focuses on recovering and analyzing metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of Physoderma species from infected environmental plant material and historical herbarium specimens. Using shotgun metagenomic sequencing approaches, this project aims to reconstruct high-quality genomes directly from complex host-associated samples without the need for culturing. The work integrates comparative genomics, phylogenomics, and metagenomic binning strategies to investigate the evolutionary diversity, host associations, and genomic adaptation of these poorly characterized chytrid-like plant pathogens. In parallel, extensive rDNA sequence datasets have been generated to study the evolutionary history, phylogenetic relationships, and diversification patterns of Physoderma lineages across different host plants and geographic regions.